1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns a two-stage method for cooking/browning/crusting food: first, a microwave energy stage; and second, an infrared energy stage. The invention further includes preferred browning/crusting devices to support and contact food during each stage.
2. Description of Prior Art
This invention improves over and increases the utility of the microwave browning grill of U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,806, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,704.
U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 286,234, filed Jan. 13, 1989 and U.S. Ser. No. 645,790, filed Jan. 25, 1991 improve over and increase the utility of the microwave shielded chamber of U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,806. These copending applications disclose how the cooking results of food, cooked in a microwave oven, may be enhanced by a subsequent exposure to infrared energy in a conventional thermal oven. These copending applications primarily concern foods which, during cooking, produce liquid by-products, e.g., sausages, whole chicken, and the like. In contrast, this invention primarily concerns foods which, during cooking, produce little or no liquid by-products, e.g., bread and cake. For any particular food, the results desired by the cook, dictate which apparatus and which cooking method to use.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,701,872 and 3,777,099 describe preheating metal plates in a microwave oven by means of a microwave-absorptive heating member. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,731,037 and 3,881,027 disclose a microwave oven apparatus, with heating layers on the ceiling, floor and walls of the microwave chamber, and describe cooking food in a metal container in that microwave chamber. U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,133 describes microwave cooking a fruit pie having a double crust. U.S. Pat. No. 3,914,967 describes microwave heating grill constructions.
The prime advantage of microwave cooking over conventional cooking, is the ability of microwave energy to surround a food and to penetrate and release energy below the surface of a food. Microwave energy, in a 700 watt microwave oven, surrounds and heats the mass of a food. In contrast, infrared energy, from a 700 watt infrared broiler heating element will heat only the exposed surface, in direct line-of-sight, of a food thereunder.
When one desires to sear, crust, broil and brown large portions of food, the full power, domestic microwave oven delivers typically only 700 watts. In comparison, a conventional gas or electric kitchen range broiler can deliver about 7000 watts. It follows that foods with large surfaces and heavy portions of food will brown and crust better under an infrared, conventional broiler with its greater heating capability.
It is an object of this invention to provide improved ways to combine microwave oven cooking with cooking under the broiler of a conventional gas or electric kitchen range.
It is another object of this invention to provide improved ways to broil, crust, fry, sear, and toast by combining sequential microwave energy and infrared energy cooking.
It is another object of this invention to provide new methods for combining sequential microwave energy and infrared energy cooking of foods such as baking pizza pies; cooking hot dogs and toasting hot dog rolls; baking two-crust meat pies and fruit pies; reheating Chinese noodles; baking cakes, cookies, rolls, fruit turnovers, biscuits, breads; and heating frozen convenience foods such as hors d'oeuvres, fried chicken and French-fried potatoes.